Foster Care
by Emily Poe
Summary: Arthur's parents have just died and he is thrown into the world of foster care, separated from his brothers. With a photo album to record the happenings of his life and his own thoughts to fill in the blanks, what will happen to this young boy? Please R
1. Chapter 1

My parents died when I was seven. It had been rather rainy that night. I remember Matilda, the governess at the time, putting me to bed. I was frightened, not because of the thunder outside, but because my brother, Ian, would often sneak into my bedroom on nights my parents were not home and would wait for the perfect moment to scare the hell out of me.

He had many ways to scare me and had been perfecting his craft ever since I was of age three. In the beginning he would simply burst into my room and yell 'BOO!'. Then he learned that jumping out of my closet and yelling 'BOO!' was much more effective. At the time of my parents death, he found even better tactics of scaring me. One was waiting under my bed until Matilda had gone away and I had relaxed and was close to sleep. Then he would reach his arm up and slide it under the covers, grabbing my ankle and pulling me onto the floor and sometimes under the bed too, but his favourite way at the time was to hide under my bed and then when I was just drifting off to sleep he would quietly come out and swiftly put his hand over my mouth, effectively cutting off any scream, and would sweetly whisper in my ear "Beware the stare of Mary Shaw. She had no children, only dolls and if ye see her in yer dreams, make sure ye never ever scream." Now I have no idea why this scared me at all, I mean by the time he started whispering, I knew it was him, but something about it made me frightened.

I realize that there are more words to the...quite twisted children's poem, but that was as far as he ever got when I really did scream, wrenching away from his hand and sprinting out of the room screaming even more. That night was no different from any other. He had creeped into my room when neither I or Matilda had been looking. Then he had waited, patiently, as I slowly started getting heavier and heavier lids. Then he came up and did his trick. As all other times, it worked perfectly. I tore out of the room and down the hallway, as my brother ran after me chanting, "Wait , brother dear, I only want ter play."

I neither waited nor slowed down, but ran even faster. My other brothers, Sean and Gwydion, were promptly woken up from the ruckus my brother and I were making, or maybe not even woken up at all. This had become more or less a nightly happening, so, as far as I know, they could have very well been awake, just waiting for my screams of fear and Ian's cries of joy. We ran through the upstairs and down the grand staircase leading to the front hall. I could here little bits of yells from Sean and Gwydion telling Ian to stop chasing me and get back to bed, even though he was the eldest out of us all. But, that was just Ian. He never gave up the chase, not even when he was loosing. He was the predator and I was his prey. He was the cunning fox and I was the scared, little rabbit.

My footsteps echoed as my feet slapped the marble floor of the front hall and then the cedar floor of the smaller hallway leading to the kitchen, where Matilda would surely be, just waiting for my brothers and I to burst in. When we finally did, I saw her talking on the phone in a hushed frantic tone. Seeing my God given solace, who would surely scold Ian for being so cruel to me, I run right up to her, clutching to her leg sputtering out pleas of help as Ian coolly walked in, acting as though he had not done one thing wrong, an innocent, unknowing look on his face.

She paid no attention to me and for a few fearful moments I thought that Ian would surely realize this too and drag me away to whatever 'games' he had planned for us. Sean and Gwydion had come in by now, waiting for Matilda to say what she usually said when my brother and I got up to these kind of antics. I can't remember now what she used to say.

Suddenly she placed the phone onto the hook with a quivering hand. As she turned towards us I backed away, having the eerie feeling that something was off. I looked up at Ian and saw that his face was now serious. It scared me. I looked back at Matilda, hoping for an explanation. Then she said the words that have forever been burned into my memory.

"I'm so sorry boys, but there's been an accident."

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Ian-Scotland

Sean-Ireland

Gwydion-Wales


	2. Chapter 2

The funeral was the next day. Matilda put all of us in our best suits and told us to act proper. She had on a black dress and a small black veil. I could still tell she was crying, a veil couldn't hide that. Poor Gwydion had tears rolling down his cheeks and we hadn't even left for the funeral yet, but I could understand why. My heart was heavy and aching, it would only take the slightest thing to get me to cry now. Sean had a frustrated, sour look on his face. His eyebrows were knitted together, and quite prominent eyebrows they were. We all had large eyebrows. We had gotten from our mother's side of the family. Hers had been large, but they were quite elegant and had looked beautiful on her fair skin. She had always been beautiful.

Ian didn't seem to have any emotions on his face, boredom perhaps, but that was all. Even last night, when Matilda told us what happened, when the police came and said my parents' car had slid ff the road and hit a tree, he kept a calm demeanor. He hadn't seemed shocked or frightened or sad or anything. He'd kept strong, even when Sean started yelling at the police and Matilda that they were lying, even when Gwydion and I had broken down into tears. I couldn't get my brother Ian, he was so strange. He was nothing like the rest of us or anyone I had ever known.

Matilda hurried us out the door an to a black car that was driven by a tall, balding man with a beard and cool grey eyes. It was comfortable and had seats facing each other. Sean and Ian sat on one side and Matilda sat on the other with Gwydion and I on either side of her. The seats were soft and made of velvet and it was dark on the inside of the car. There was a divider between the front where the driver sat and the back where we sat. The windows were tinted, darkly. We drove for I have no idea how long. Not long, an hour at the most. On the way, I looked out the window and tried to see what I could. I saw dark, grey images of countryside. Soon, it started to rain, grey raindrops hitting grey glass panes. None of us had thought to bring an umbrella.

When we had gotten to the funeral, many others had gotten there. It wasn't raining hard, just drizzling, but we were still getting wet. Soon the funeral started and men in black suits ushered us to the front, since we were the sons of the deceased and our governess was watching us. Many people were there, most no one we had ever met. Some were friends of the family, not close, though. My parents had no close friends.

The priest started talking, reading from a paper e had in front of him. I didn't pay any attention, I just stared at the casket in front of me. My parents were in them, I knew that. I couldn't see them. Matilda said it would be a closed casket ceremony. It was better not to see them. We stood side by side, my little family. Gwydion held Matilda's hand and I held his hand. Sean stood with his arms crossed and Ian had his hands in his pockets. Sometime while the priest was talking, a nice man handed Matilda an umbrella, since we hadn't brought one. Sean, Gwydion, and I crowded under it, though we were already pretty wet. Ian didn't come under the umbrella, he stood still in his spot, staring at the caskets, examining them. He couldn't take his eyes off of them.

After the people had gone and our parents buried, we were still there standing. The rain had stopped and Matilda had given the nice man back his umbrella and now we stood on soft and soggy. I shuffle my feet and the squish into the ground.

"It's time to go." says the curt, quick voice of Matilda.

She turns and walks towards the car. Sean and Gwydion walk behind her. I start walking too, but look back once I notice that Ian hasn't moved from his spot. I turn around fully to face him.

"Ian, it's time to go." I called. I looked back behind me, to see how far the others had gotten. I didn't want to get left behind. "Ian!" I called again, turning back to face my brother. Tears started to brim anew in my eyes. Finally, I ran towards him, trying to get him to come.

I tugged at his jacket, wanting to get his attention. For a moment, even that didn't work, but then, Ian turned his head and looked down at me. I looked up as he lifted his hand and brushed back my bangs so he could get a better view of my eyes. My forest green eyes looked into his swamp green eyes. I could see nothing, no emotion. He pulled back his hand and instead placed it on my shoulder. Hard. It hurt.

"All right boyo. Let's get." Ian said, leading me towards the car.

When we got there, Matilda didn't say a word. She just opened the door for us and Ian and I climbed in and then she. Then, we drove home.

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As soon as we had gotten home and changed into more casual clothing, Matilda piled us all into the old nursery, saying that there would be an important visitor soon and that we should stay in here until she said we can come out. I sometimes wonder if she was hinting we should come out when the visitor came, because she knows very well we were never very good at obeying rules.

The nursery was filled with all kinds of old toys and books. At the time, Gwydion and I still came and played in here; we were still young enough, but Sean and Ian hadn't been in there for years, neither coming in since they were ten. It was nice to have everyone in here, even if Sean just sat on a settee next to one of the windows facing the front of the house and Ian sat on the other settee, window open, smoking a cigarette. Mother and father had never known he did smoke, or at least never gave off that they knew.

Gwydion played with an old train set, trying to get his mind off of things. I sat re-reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It was full of pictures, funny illustrations, showing how Wonderland and all its' inhabitants looked. I smiled at the pictures. The people looked funny.

Just then, there was a sound from outside, like a car. Gwydion and I ran to the window where Sean was and looked out. In the gravel driveway was a black car. A man stepped out of the car. He was fat and blading and had a large black suit on. He was also carrying a black suit case. I gazed down there, only partly knowing what he was here for. _He probably had something to do with us_ I thought. I saw Matilda walk out and greet him. They only talked for a moment before walking into the house again. Once I couldn't see them, I sat up and turned my back to the window. I was still sitting on the settee with Gwydion beside me and Sean beside him. We were all quiet.

"Well then. Let's go greet our new visitor." said a voice. We all looked over to where my brother, Ian was. He had flicked his cigarette out the window and closed it. He was standing, hands in pockets and a serious look on his face. He meant business.


	3. The Last Supper

My brothers and I made our way down the stairs, making sure to be quiet so Matilda and the visitor wouldn't here us. Ian was at the front of the group, Sean behind him, myself behind Sean, and Gwydion straggling along behind me, being fearful about Matilda finding us down here and giving us a lecture and maybe a whipping. He didn't like lectures or whippings. Neither did I.

We searched the bottom floor, Ian knowing perfectly well that Matilda wouldn't let anyone upstairs with us being up there. We soon found where Matilda had taken the stranger. They were in our father's study on a side hallway. We heard voices coming from it, one sounded like Matilda and the other sounded like a rather old bloke. We all went up to the door and put our ears to it, straining our ears to hear the secrets they were telling in the small room.

"..sorry, but they've got no living relatives, none at all. Their mother was an only child and their father did have a brother, but he died during childhood and both sets of grandparents have been dead for years."

"You seem to be right madam. Well that settles it, they'll be put up for adoption, sent to foster homes more likely than not."

"I really do wish I could take them in. I've been with the family for years, ever since Ian was four. But I barely have any room in my little apartment for one child. Oh those poor dears. Mr. Thomas, will the boys be able to be together, they won't get separated now, will they?"

"...I'm afraid that is what most likely will happen."

At this Gwydion let out a small cry that was muffled by Ian's hand. We couldn't get caught, not yet.

"It will be very unlikely that they will all be in the same foster homes and extremely more unlikely that even two of them will be adopted into the same family. Let's see, the littlest ones will have the best chances of being adopted. Now, what are their names...", there was a rustling of papers from what I could here.

"Arthur and Gwydion.", said Matilda's voice. "Arthur's seven and Gwydion has just turned eight.

"Ah yes, them. Well, they have the best chances to be adopted. The twelve year old, Sean. It could go either way for him. But Ian... not many people are willing to adopt a sixteen year old boy. No, he'll most likely be in a foster home until he's eighteen. Then he'll leave the home, go searching for a job and a college and then find a place to settle down."

There was a moment of silence after the man said that and I was having a battle within myself. ***We'll be separated?*** I kept thinking over and over again. How could that be true, how could anyone do that to us, to me? Sure Ian was a sadistic ass hole who's favorite game was to terrorize me, Sean was a bastard who wouldn't do a thing for me, and even though Gwydion was a year older than me, he was a crybaby whom I had to protect, but they were my brothers. To be suddenly torn away from them was not just mean, it was cruel, evil.

Footsteps on the stairs led me out of my thoughts. Ian was walking up the stairs, cigarette in one hand and lighter in another. He was going upstairs to think. We all left too, not bothering to hear the rest of the conversation.

* * *

That night, as I was lying in my bed for the last time I though over the events of what went on after we left the stranger and Matilda. Sean, Gwydion, and I had gone back to the play room. Ian was not there. My best guess was that he had gone back to his room. We stayed there until Matilda came back up after the stranger with the brief case had left. She had come up to tell us what would happen, but she could tell by the looks of our faces that we already knew. The only things she said was "supper's ready" and "find Ian". I found him, naturally since I was the only one who went to search for him, but again it was my job. We had all made a silent agreement of some sort years ago. I'm not sure how it started, but everyone knew that I took care of Ian and he took care of me and that Sean took care of Gwydion and Gwydion took care of Sean. Ian was in his bedroom, sitting on the windowsill, smoking. It was dusk and with no light on in his room, it was getting dark fast.

"Ian, it's time for dinner." I said.

For a moment it seemed as though he hadn't hear me. Then, slowly, he looked away from the setting sun to my small, sad figure in the doorway.

"Come 'ere." he said, softly.

I was reluctant at first, but then slowly, I made my way over to him. He flicked his cigarette out the window and the picked me up, placing me on his lap, one hand on my back and the other on my head. He held me to him, closely, his hand forcing my head onto his chest. I lied limp on his lap like that for what felt like an eternity, his breathing and the chirps of crickets outside the only things I could here.

Suddenly I felt him get up and place me on the floor.

"Yer gettin' heavy boyo. I'm not sure if you need any dinner." he said, a wicked grin on his face and an easy going look in his eyes. It made me laugh. I was the smallest of them all, even when they were my age, they were still bigger than I when I was that age. We went down stairs and ate our last supper together. It was chicken and string beans. I remember it as the best meal I ever had in that house.

I was rustled out of my thoughts as I felt movement on my left side. I looked over and there was Gwydion, his red cheeks and tear streaked face greeting mine.

"Can I sleep with you Arthur?" he choked out, trying not to cry.

My poor older brother was barely able to think about not having his brothers with him. He tried to be brave for me, for I was younger than him, but he was not very good at it.

"Course you can Gwydion."

He climbed right up next to me and we cuddled together clutching each other, afraid to let go, fully knowing we would have to say goodbye tomorrow. Some few moments later, there were creaks of footsteps and I could see from the bed the silhouette of my other brother, Sean, coming in. His face looked like stone, with maybe a little aggravation etched on it. He climbed into the bed without saying a word, sleeping on Gwydion's other side, holding him with one hand and taking his other hand and holding my shoulder. He didn't want to let go either. He didn't want us to break apart.

I drifted off to sleep after sometime. In the middle of the night with the moon showering us in radiant, white light I was awoken by movement on the other side of me, facing the window. I cracked my eyelids open still heavy with sleep, and saw my eldest brother, Ian. He had on a white T-Shirt and a pair of jeans. He was getting into bed on my side. I mumbled something as he got into bed and encircled me with his arms, my face pressed to his chest. I breathed in his scent. It smelled like tobacco and thistle. He ran his fingers through my hair, caressing me. I started to cry.

Soon it was morning. We had to leave.


	4. Einsamkeit

Ah, this chapter was longer than I had anticipated...of course I did add a lot of things. This chappie actually makes me a little sad. :(

Anyways, hope you enjoy!

**WARNINGS: Sadness?**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hetalia, because if I did Iggy and America would have gotten together a LONG time ago.**

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Matilda came into my room that morning to wake me up and wasn't very surprised to find all of us in there. She knew it would have to be one of the bedrooms. She woke us all up and for a few precious moments, all of us hadn't a clue of what day it was. And then we remembered. Ian walked out of the room nonchalantly to his room, so he could get ready. Sean had a sour look on his face and was sulking. Gwydion had to hold back his tears, so he could set a good example for me. I sat up in bed and hadn't computed yet that it was only me left in the room until Matilda placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You should get ready dearie. You'll have to leave soon."

Then she walked out, quickly. She was crying. I was on auto-drive that morning. I don't remember getting dressed, brushing my teeth, or tieing my shoes. My body was doing it automatically. My brain was some distance off. What I do remember was Gwydion brushing my hair. He has such a gentle touch, knowing my hair was usually unruly, and brushed it slowly and gently. I sat on the floor while he was on his knees, taking his time to brush. He was trying to distract himself, I could tell. He wanted to forget that he may never see his brothers or Matilda, who was more like a mother to us than even our own mother had been, ever again.

Also, he was being older brother to me. He wanted to comfort me, for once, he felt the need to. He always felt bad about himself being so tender hearted and now, he had a chance to be brave. He was fabulous.

All of us sat down to a quiet breakfast Matilda had made. It was scrambled eggs with cheese in them, lightly toasted bread with butter and jam, and a warm cup of tea. It's now my favorite breakfast. No one spoke and the only sounds were that of us chewing the food and the clanking of forks as they hit plates. A savored every bite, wanting the breakfast to last forever. I should have eaten slower.

It was ten o' clock by the time we had finished breakfast and ashed the dishes together. We had exactly an hour before the people would come for us. My brothers and I spent it in The Garden out back. We had packed our suitcases earlier that morning and they now waited in thr front hall. How I wish they could have taken our places.

The Garden had been mother's pride and joy, a maze of flowers, fruits, and vegetables. She had been tending to it ever since Ian had been two. We would all go out to The Garden during the weekends and play in it or help our mother with the plants. The Garden was our escape, a place where we could hide away from everything. My favorite place to hide was the sunflower patch we had back there. They were about Ian's height who was very tall. Ian liked the little maze to escape to. He would usually smoke there, but it wasn't bad there. It smelled like thistle. Sean had the small apple orchard where he could sleep in the shade and eat apples to his heart's content. Gwydion had always been content to sit by the small fountain and watch the water and lily pads. That's where we stayed first, not talking, just sitting, at first. But just sitting isn't that fun, and I was the first one to break th just sitting. I stood up and started to walk on the edge of the fountain, between the water and the ground. It was very hard since I was very good at balancing. I slipped and expcted to land in the water. I didn't. I opened my eyes, not realizing I had closed them. My brother's had saved me. Gwydion was holding onto the leg that had stayed put on the side of the fountain, Sean had taken hold of my shirt and Ian had me by one of my hands. They helped me steady myself.

"Yer a clumsy one, boyo.", Ian said, but I knew he was joking.

I had broken the sadness and brought back joy, at least for the moment. Ian helped me walk the whole way around the fountain and Sean helped Gwydion which took a little more work. After that, we went to the apple orchard. It was only early fall, so the apples were still good. We picked a lot and ate them. They tasted sweet. Sean, Gwydion, and I climbed the trees and Ian made sure we didn't fall out. We left the apple orchard and made our way to the sunflowers. They were very tall. We took turns getting on Ian's shoulders. When it wasn' our turn, we played hide-and-seek, which was very fun. I finally got my turn on Ian's shoulders. He picked me up and put me on his shoulders. I was a little unsteady at first, but soon got used to it. For the first time that time, I noticed how blue the sky was and how much the sun shined. It made's Ian's hair look even more fiery than was usual. Sean's hair looked bright, almost orange. It was pretty. Gwydion's hair looked especially shining. His hair was blond, but was a much lighter shad than mine and in the sunlight, in looked almost white. We left the sunflower field and made our way over to the small maze mother had grown. It was very tall, almost eight feet, so no one could look over the top and cheat. It was a favorite past time of ours to run through it and try to get lost, though no matter how much we tried, we always knew our way out. We had just been in it too many times. It was very fun chasing each other through it and sneaking up on each other from behind. It was a dream.

But soon, as with all dreams this one had to end. We heard Matilda call from the house, saying it was time to go. I could have cried. We made our way to the house and entered through the back door. We were sticky with sweat and a little dirty, but we didn't care. If we had had more time, we'd be even dirtier, but then we would be happier.

We get our suitcases and go out front. There's a black car with two people, a woman with chocolate skin, brown eyes, and curly hair in a high pony tail, and a man with tanned skin, brown hair, and blue eyes. They were both waring suits. The woman had a smile on her face and the man looked like stone, but not as much as Ian did. The woman stepped forward, to me. She bent down and held out her hand.

"Hello there. My name's Melissa. You must be Arthur. My, don't you look cute.", she said, with a smile on her face.

I warily stuck out my hand and shook her hand. Once we were done greeting each other, she retracted her arm.

"That's James over there. Don't mind him, he can be a little uptight sometimes, but he's all right."

She had a London accent. James didn't speak. Melissa got up and talked to Matilda for a moment, then turned around.

"Time to go Arthur."

I looked at her, then my brother's, then her again. She gave me a nod. I walked towards them and then Gwydion ran up to me. He clutched me around my neck and I hugged him back. Tears were wetting my shoulder, but i didn't care. They were his tears so it was okay. Tears started coming down my face and onto his shoulder. He backed up, hiccuping a little. Sean stepped forward. He still had that sour look on his face. Quickly he grabbed me and held me close. He was trembling. As suddenly as he hugged me he took his arms away from me. He's never been able to say goodbye very well. The Ian hugged me goodbye. He got down on his knees and brought me close to him. He wrapped his arms around my middle and I wrapped mine around his neck. We stayed like that for a long time. I hugged Matilda after Ian. She was smiling and crying at the same time saying to be a good boy and to brush my teeth and make sure to be nice to girls, just like a mother would do when her child had finally grown up. I stepped away from the group and we looked at each other, tears glistening in Gwydion's, Sean's, Matilda's, and my eyes. Ian just looked agitated. Gwydion let out a wail and hugged me again. We all hugged again. I didn't want to leave.

When I hugged Ian last, he held me very close and whispered in my ear.

"I promise to come get you as soon as I can. Then we'll be a family again.", he said quietly, sweetly in my ear.

We parted and Melissa walked me to the car. They had already put my suitcase in the trunk. I took one last look at Matilda, my brothers, my family. I felt like crying, like screaming. Nothing came out. Even my tears had dried up. I breathed deeply, calming myself. I knew more cars would go and get my brothers within the hour. Then Matilda would go home. My stomach hurt.

James was driving and Melissa was sitting in the opposite of him. She tried calming me down and put some music on, hoping it would cheer me up. She should have left it off. The song that came on was in a foreign language, little of which I could understand. But one word I knew perfectly well. Einsamkeit. Even though I was only seven, my parents had hired tutors who had started teaching me at an early age. My foreign language was German, and I knew enough German to know what einsamkeit meant. It was said six times throughout the song. I was feeling einsamkeit. I was feeling loneliness.

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So in case you didn't catch on

Einsamkeit = Loneliness in German

so, yeah R&R


	5. Strong Arms

Ahh! Chappie is too short! I have such a headache right now and this actually seemed like an alright place to stop, so yeah. hope you enjoy it, even though it's too damn short.

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hetalia, just the story line, for if I did own Hetalia, I would have more United Kingdom history in it and makes you guys learn stuff!**

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I was startled and confused but not afraid. No, not afraid, but I didn't give any indication that I was awake, either. All I did was sit there on the lap of Adalric. The thought occurred to me that it seemed more likely for Anthony to do this sort of thing, mostly because of the fact that Anthony was more the touchy feely type of person who would love to hug anyone, who seemed the least bit upset about anything. From the moment I saw Adalric, though, he seemed to have something of a permanent scowl on his face, and now he was hugging me? It seemed quite puzzling. Suddenly, he was speaking. I was positive that he still thought me to be asleep, so I kept quiet and gave no indication that I could hear him.

"Oh you poor boy. You don't even realize how much shit you've gotten into." he said. That was the first time I realized how his voice sounded. It was soft, but authoritative and had a gentle Germanic accent.

"Foster care is such hell. I'm sure Anthony will make your stay here wonderful. Maybe I'll even try."

I heard his breath hitch and it felt like he was holding his breath for a moment. He let out the air with a shudder and something wet fell on my nose and then my cheek. Adalric was crying. I decided not to do anything, knowing it would probably only make him embarrassed. So I sat there and let him cry. To be truthful, I actually felt quite tired. My eye lids slipped closed and I was somewhere between being awake and asleep.

Suddenly I was jostled awake when I felt Adalric shift with me in his arms. I quickly covered up my being awake by tightly closing my eyes and listening very carefully to hear what was happening. I could hear Adalric's breath, slow and steady, and footsteps coming from the door.

"How long have you been up here?" said the soft voice of Anthony.

"Not long. You fell asleep and then I came up here to check on Arthur, idiot."

Though Adalric's words were harsh, I could here compassion in them. They were words of love. Suddenly I was squished between the two men. It wasn't uncomfortable, really, it was warm and sweet. They broke apart after a moment.

"Here, let me put him to bed. You go on to the bedroom and I'll be with you shortly. You look worn out." Anthony said.

With a moment of hesitation, Adalric handed me over to Anthony. I heard a yawn and a 'Don't be long.' Still pretending to be asleep, I let Anthony undress me and put me in night clothes. Though he was more of a stranger than someone I knew, I did not feel uncomfortable with this. I've had total strangers take care of me all my life, it was nothing new. He put me under the covers, which were very soft and warm and comfortable, and stayed there for a moment. Then he put my bangs back, like Ian had at the funeral, and kissed my forehead.

"Bonam noctem, parvus." he said, softly, kindly. I slipped into sleep. It was nice.

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Again...too...damn...short...please review

**Latin**:  
Bonam noctem, parvus - Goodnight, little one.


	6. Words of Love

I feel somewhat accomplished with finishing this chappie, since it is much longer than my last one, and my headache is gone! yay!

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hetalia for if I did, there would be much more Chibi!England!**

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I woke up the next morning with the bright light of the sun blinding me. It took a few minutes for me to get use to the light and then I got out of the bed. The day before I hadn't bothered to unpack, so all of my clothes were still in my suitcase. I saw it opened on the floor, the clothes ruffled a little from when Anthony had gotten me night clothes. I looked through the suitcase and found a pair of brown shorts and a white, short sleeved shirt. I put on a pair of socks and my brown loafers. I found a mirror on the inside of the closet and looked at myself. I felt as though I was in a school uniform, all I needed was a jacket and a bow tie and t would be perfect.

I sighed before opening my bedroom door and walking out into a hallway. I was situated on the second floor, which was fine by me. The hallway was barely furnished but it did look nice. It had a long rug from one end of the hallway to the bottom of the staircase. It was decorated with all sorts of things, flowers really, in a pattern way, like old rugs you will see sometimes. It had an oval shaped mirror with a fancy, golden painted border. There was a side table with three legs against the wall near another door with a small plant on it.

I took it all in within a matter of seconds and then walked down the staircase, taking my time. Anxious was what I felt. Nervous. This was all so new to me, so I was quite unsure of what to expect.

Just expect the unexpected is what I told myself. It was all I really could do.

After navigating the bottom floor and getting turned around once or twice, I found the kitchen, mostly through my nose. Something smelled absolutely wonderful, just wonderful. I opened the door, which was one of those queer swinging doors, the kind that can go in and out of a room. The kitchen wasn't too big but was of a nice comfortable size. It was near the back of the house, facing where the animals were mostly kept. The floor was one of those fake tile ones. There was a white fridge near a window and a stove and a counter between the stove and the fridge. Something was definitely cooking on the stove and it smelt fabulous. The walls were painted white with a few pictures on it, of different flowers. Since my mother had done so much gardening, I knew them on sight. One was a white carnation, another was a flowering almond, and another was a flax. I studied the pictures for a moment. They were beautifully painted, every little detail precise and perfect. Anthony must have noticed me looking at them. He laughed and that brought me to look at him.

"Like them?" he asked, a smile forever on his face.

I nodded.

"Yeah, Adalric always spends hours on his painting. Gets me upset sometimes, because whenever he's painting, he doesn't even pay any attention to me! Now is that how a proper husband should act?"

I shrugged my shoulders. I never really knew how proper husbands should act, my parents never really were together that much. If one was home, the other was away. Most of the time they were both away, even on birthdays and holidays, though mother usually tried to be home.

"Well, let me tell you, it's not. You ever meet a girl or boy who catches your eye, you devote your whole self to them. Not some stupid pictures." Anthony muttered the last part.

Suddenly Adalric came in, with a look of annoyance on his face.

"You're not very good at whispering." was all Adalric said and then sat down.

Adalric had a pair of jeans and a white button up shirt. He had on a pair of brown boots. Anthony had on a pair of jeans also and a white T-shirt with a white apron over it. He was barefoot.

"Who said I was trying to?" said Anthony, his smile broadening. Then he went back to the stove.

I sat down too and stared at the table. It was real wood, mahogany I think. Suddenly I had a heart attack, once a plate of food was slammed down in front of me. Quickly I looked up and saw a smiling Anthony standing above me. Somehow, this wasn't very creepy anymore.

The food looked...different from what I usually ate. There was toast with jam, eggs, fish, and mixed fruit. And then Anthony placed a tall glass of cold milk beside it. This was very different from my usually breakfast, a small bowl of grits and a cup of tea, buttered bread when my brothers and I were lucky. Mother had always been strict with our diets, which was probably why I was so small, that and the fact my older brothers, even Gwydion, would sometimes steal portions of my food claiming "The youngest should give to the eldest", and now to have so much food before me, also that was so different, it was strange.

I picked at the food at first and hadn't even touched the milk yet, when Anthony had set his and Adalric's food down. Their plates were somewhat different from mine. Anthony had fish, fruit, meat, vegetables, cheese, olives, honey on bread and water. Adalric had toast and bread rolls with honey, eggs, and a cup of strong black coffee. At first it was very quiet, each of us only paying attention to our own food.

"So, what do you think of this place?" Anthony asked, killing the silence.

I looked up at him, since he was obviously talking to me, and shrugged my shoulders.

"It's nice." I said, looking back at my plate.

"So you can talk!" he exclaimed, which made me jump a little.

He then made a sound that sounded like he was in pain and Adalric was looking very angry. My guess was Anthony had been kicked under the table, like Ian used to do to Sean. I smiled, just a small one, but it didn't go unnoticed. I felt the room get a little lighter. We all did.

After we finished up our breakfasts, which my stomach was bursting from not being used to eating all the food, Adalric turned to me.

"Want to help me with the animals today?"

I nodded and so started my adventures with the animals.

* * *

I actually did look up what was the common breakfast in Rome, and for wealthy people, it was generally what Anthony was eating.

For Adalric, since I couldn't find any Germanic breakfasts online, I just went with what people in Germany usually eat.

Also the flowers be important!

**FLOWERING ALMOND**: Hope.

**WHITE CARNATION**: Innocence, faithfulness, sweet and lovely, pure love, ardent love, good luck.

**FLAX**: Domestic symbol, fate, kindness.

More flowers will come up later and their meanings will too! Well, R&R please!


	7. Smile

Short, short, long, long, long, short, short. That's the pattern these chapters are following and I'm a bit upset with it, but oh well, guess I can't do much. *sigh* This is mainly a filler, but still important.

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hetalia, because if I did, they would have already talked about how there is a tunnel under the English Channel connecting England to France...I'll let your minds wander now.**

* * *

Adalric and I left Anthony to do the house work we and went outside. It was very bright and again I had to squint and adjust my eyes to the light. As I held one arm over my eyes, I felt Adalric grasp my other one.

"Come on Arthur, let's feed the chickens first. Besides, the coop is in the shade, so your eyes should be able to adjust better there."

I let him lead me there, stumbling a bit as I went. Once we did get to the shade, my eyes were able to adjust. In front of me was the biggest rooster I had ever seen, just staring at me. I started and fell on the ground, just a bit surprised. Adalric smiled a little and helped me up.

"No need to be afraid, this old cock is like that other old one in the house. As dumb as dirt and doesn't even know how to hurt anything. Just struts around like someone gives a damn."

He got a bag of grain and showed it to me.

"I doubt you have ever fed chickens so this will be your first and only lesson."

He demonstrated what to do.

"See you just take a little our and throw it onto the ground. Make sure not to hit the chickens and walk around a bit, don't cluster the feed into one small space. I'm just gonna make sure all the chickens are here. Sometimes they get into the garden, and Anthony can get real pissy about that."

So as Adalric made sure all the chickens were here, I fed the them, the chickens. It was actually somewhat fun. I liked how they all clustered around the feed, gobbling it all up. Some of them tried pecking at me, to get the food, but I just stomped my foot at them and they backed off long enough for me to give them more food. Soon the bag was empty and the chickens and rooster were back to pecking at the ground for bugs.

Suddenly I hear Adalric cursing, more than usual, as he came back towards me. I was confused as to what was wrong, but decided not to speak. I knew I would learn soon enough. I showed him the empty food bag. He was brought out of his thoughts and looked at me, his eyes stern and angry, but not at me. At something else.

"Thank you, Arthur. How about you head back to the house and tell Anthony to help you gather eggs from the chicken house. I'll be back soon, just need to take care of some business."

I nodded and quickly went off to the house to find Anthony. I found him in the living room, sitting on the couch reading. I told him what Adalric told me and he nodded, but I noticed he looked slightly confused. He was wondering what was bothering Adalric too. He got his shoes on and we went outside. As we were walking towards the chicken coop, I heard a gallop behind us and looked back to see Adalric on a big, brown horse. Anthony picked me up and walked toward him as he slowed down.

"What's wrong?" Anthony asked, with genuine worry.

Adalric was quiet for a moment.

"This morning when I went to make sure all the chickens were accounted for and nowhere they shouldn't have been, I couldn't find a few. I broadened my search and looked in the woods a little. Just a few yards to the west of the chicken coup, I found feathers. They had red on them, so you can guess what I assumed happened. Just beyond that, I found the rest of the chickens. Now, I'm going to have a chat with Mr. Adnan next door. I'll be back soon."

With that, he rode off. All was quiet for a moment, till Anthony put me down.

"Come on Arthur, let's go get the eggs."

I went with him, but said nothing else. I could tell that Adalric had been angrier than he let on, but he was most likely keeping that anger pent up to use it on something else. Most likely that Mr. Adnan.

After we got the eggs we carried them inside in baskets that were just outside the coup in a wooden box. We put them in empty egg boxes and stored them in the fridge. Then we went to the living room, a blaring silence taking over. I quieted it.

"Anthony, who is Mr. Adnan?"

It took Anthony a moment to answer.

"Mr. Sadiq Adnan is a neighbor of ours in another large house near us. He hails from Turkey and he has two sons, but of different backgrounds. One's name is Gupta, he's from Egypt, and the others' name is Heracles, he's from Greece. I think he adopted them."

There was another moments of silence.

"Why is Adalric angry with him?" I questioned.

Anthony sighed.

"He's one for exotic things, paintings, sculptures, plants, he takes many trips a year and brings back many new prizes. One year he brought back a grey wolf. I didn't even know it was legal to own such things here. It probably isn't, but he has money, much more than we have, so he can get away with it, as long as it doesn't get into to much trouble. Well, ever since then, many of our chickens and two lambs have disappeared and we usually find what's left later. We've been over to his place so many times, people would think we were good friends."

He was quiet and I was quiet. I was sad too. Why did the lambs and chickens have to die? Then, I felt a hand clamp onto my head and ruffle my hair a bit. I looked up and saw Anthony's smiling face. I couldn't help but give a small smile back.

"Don't worry about it Arthur, you'll never have to meet that idiot Sadiq."

I did, in fact, just a few days later.

* * *

So...

Sadiq=Turkey

Gupta=Egypt

Heracles=Greece

Also, side note, my dad has confirmed we are going to N.Y.C this summer! This will be my second time going there (I was nine my first) I can't wait! Also R&R cause you know you want to!


	8. Chickens and Lambs

Short, short, long, long, long, short, short. That's the pattern these chapters are following and I'm a bit upset with it, but oh well, guess I can't do much. *sigh* This is mainly a filler, but still important.

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hetalia, because if I did, they would have already talked about how there is a tunnel under the English Channel connecting England to France...I'll let your minds wander now.**

* * *

Adalric and I left Anthony to do the house work we and went outside. It was very bright and again I had to squint and adjust my eyes to the light. As I held one arm over my eyes, I felt Adalric grasp my other one.

"Come on Arthur, let's feed the chickens first. Besides, the coop is in the shade, so your eyes should be able to adjust better there."

I let him lead me there, stumbling a bit as I went. Once we did get to the shade, my eyes were able to adjust. In front of me was the biggest rooster I had ever seen, just staring at me. I started and fell on the ground, just a bit surprised. Adalric smiled a little and helped me up.

"No need to be afraid, this old cock is like that other old one in the house. As dumb as dirt and doesn't even know how to hurt anything. Just struts around like someone gives a damn."

He got a bag of grain and showed it to me.

"I doubt you have ever fed chickens so this will be your first and only lesson."

He demonstrated what to do.

"See you just take a little our and throw it onto the ground. Make sure not to hit the chickens and walk around a bit, don't cluster the feed into one small space. I'm just gonna make sure all the chickens are here. Sometimes they get into the garden, and Anthony can get real pissy about that."

So as Adalric made sure all the chickens were here, I fed the them, the chickens. It was actually somewhat fun. I liked how they all clustered around the feed, gobbling it all up. Some of them tried pecking at me, to get the food, but I just stomped my foot at them and they backed off long enough for me to give them more food. Soon the bag was empty and the chickens and rooster were back to pecking at the ground for bugs.

Suddenly I hear Adalric cursing, more than usual, as he came back towards me. I was confused as to what was wrong, but decided not to speak. I knew I would learn soon enough. I showed him the empty food bag. He was brought out of his thoughts and looked at me, his eyes stern and angry, but not at me. At something else.

"Thank you, Arthur. How about you head back to the house and tell Anthony to help you gather eggs from the chicken house. I'll be back soon, just need to take care of some business."

I nodded and quickly went off to the house to find Anthony. I found him in the living room, sitting on the couch reading. I told him what Adalric told me and he nodded, but I noticed he looked slightly confused. He was wondering what was bothering Adalric too. He got his shoes on and we went outside. As we were walking towards the chicken coop, I heard a gallop behind us and looked back to see Adalric on a big, brown horse. Anthony picked me up and walked toward him as he slowed down.

"What's wrong?" Anthony asked, with genuine worry.

Adalric was quiet for a moment.

"This morning when I went to make sure all the chickens were accounted for and nowhere they shouldn't have been, I couldn't find a few. I broadened my search and looked in the woods a little. Just a few yards to the west of the chicken coup, I found feathers. They had red on them, so you can guess what I assumed happened. Just beyond that, I found the rest of the chickens. Now, I'm going to have a chat with Mr. Adnan next door. I'll be back soon."

With that, he rode off. All was quiet for a moment, till Anthony put me down.

"Come on Arthur, let's go get the eggs."

I went with him, but said nothing else. I could tell that Adalric had been angrier than he let on, but he was most likely keeping that anger pent up to use it on something else. Most likely that Mr. Adnan.

After we got the eggs we carried them inside in baskets that were just outside the coup in a wooden box. We put them in empty egg boxes and stored them in the fridge. Then we went to the living room, a blaring silence taking over. I quieted it.

"Anthony, who is Mr. Adnan?"

It took Anthony a moment to answer.

"Mr. Sadiq Adnan is a neighbor of ours in another large house near us. He hails from Turkey and he has two sons, but of different backgrounds. One's name is Gupta, he's from Egypt, and the others' name is Heracles, he's from Greece. I think he adopted them."

There was another moments of silence.

"Why is Adalric angry with him?" I questioned.

Anthony sighed.

"He's one for exotic things, paintings, sculptures, plants, he takes many trips a year and brings back many new prizes. One year he brought back a grey wolf. I didn't even know it was legal to own such things here. It probably isn't, but he has money, much more than we have, so he can get away with it, as long as it doesn't get into to much trouble. Well, ever since then, many of our chickens and two lambs have disappeared and we usually find what's left later. We've been over to his place so many times, people would think we were good friends."

He was quiet and I was quiet. I was sad too. Why did the lambs and chickens have to die? Then, I felt a hand clamp onto my head and ruffle my hair a bit. I looked up and saw Anthony's smiling face. I couldn't help but give a small smile back.

"Don't worry about it Arthur, you'll never have to meet that idiot Sadiq."

I did, in fact, just a few days later.

* * *

So...

Sadiq=Turkey

Gupta=Egypt

Heracles=Greece

Also, side note, my dad has confirmed we are going to N.Y.C this summer! This will be my second time going there (I was nine my first) I can't wait! Also R&R cause you know you want to!


	9. The Fence

I feel late. I mean I usually put up one chappie a day but I missed a day! I sorry. and you know what, this chapter sucks! I barely put Turkey in there, just at the end! *Shakes head* I hate it when I do this...

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hetalia, because if I did, everyone would be England's bitch.**

**

* * *

**

The morning had been like most others, except for the fact that it was quite hot that day. I put on a pair of navy blue shorts, a white, short sleeved shirt with a few buttons at the top, and a pair of ankle socks and my regular pair of shoes. I was already sweating.

The house didn't have air conditioning, so I knew today would be a tough one. I went down stairs and into the kitchen. At my usually place at the table was a bowl of fruit and a glass of milk. Anthony must have decided that it was too hot to cook. I agreed with him. I sat down and took a sip of my milk, though wishing for my usual tea.

I will note that for the whole three weeks that I lived with Anthony and Adalric, I did not get one drop of tea. They insisted I was too young.

Anyways, Anthony was already sitting at the table with his water and fruit, almost done with it, when Adalric walked in. He had water that morning too, for Anthony hadn't boiled the water for Adalric's coffee, because it was so hot and steam would just make it worse. I don't think Adalric minded all that much, sure he was being deprived of his caffeine, but it still was rather hot.

I had gotten use to my surroundings and the inhabitants. That is to say that I was starting to like the house and farm and I had grown fond of Anthony and Adalric. We had conversations now and I was feeling most at home, though at night the pain still came back. I was still terribly missing my older brothers and Matilda and still had some pain from my parents deaths. But that was at night, and now it was day.

"Would you like to help me out today?", Adalric asked me.

I smiled and nodded. Sure it was hot outside, but it couldn't be any worse than inside.

I was terribly wrong. It was worse. The sun was shining brighter than ever and the temperature was horrendous. This was suppose to be early fall? Evidently our part of England did not get the memo. I was just happy that it wasn't humid, or else I would have just died. There was a small breeze, but I savored it and thanked it. It made the day a little more bearable.

Adalric motioned for me to follow him and I had to run a little to keep up with his longer strides. We went to the stables where the horses were kept. It was a small stable only four horses, but Anthony had said that was plenty for them. The Horses were Nero, Julius, Ermendrud, and Roslindus. That day we took out Julius, because he was a white Arabian horse, and very proud. When Adalric opened the door to his stall, he looked ready to run out. Thankfully Adalric is very adept at keeping him in.

I helped him get Julius ready for riding by bring him the brushes, picks, the saddle pad, the saddle, the girth, the bridle, and the reigns. While he was getting Julius set up, I was given the job of filling the water buckets up with water and the food buckets up with hay. Let me tell you, that is no easy job, especially for a seven year old. But, i enjoyed it all the same. It took my mind off of things I would rather not think about.

After getting a tad dirty and having water spilt on me, thanks to Nero, Adalric was ready to go. We walked Julius out of the barn and onto the dirt path the lead from the main road to the house. Then he said he needed to get something from the barn quick and asked me to wait for him with Julius.

Now Julius is a big horse, and worse, he's Anthony's Horse, but he was the right one for the job that day, so we couldn't do much about it. He seemed to be getting a little anxious, he wanted to walk around and I had him by the reins, so it was much of a struggle. He started walking towards the side of the stable, probably wanting to get to the pasture. I dug my heels into the ground and tried stopping him.

"Come on Julius, just wait a few more minutes. Adalric will be out soon and you'll be able to walk!"

He seemed...surprised that i would speak like that to him. I never knew horses could be surprised. He seem to contemplate on what to do and decided to stay. He still looked anxious, but he stayed. Soon Adalric came out, looking none too surprised that we had moved. He walked over to us, a satchel on his shoulder now and picked me up, the reins and put me on Julius first and then climbed up himself. There was enough room on the saddle for both of us, all I had to do was hold on tight to the mane. Sure a little dangerous, but not as much as you would think, and holding onto Julius's mane was easy, since he couldn't even feel it.

Today Adalric said we were going down to the fence line that separated his land from Sadiq's to make sure there were no loose or broken fences. I held on tight, ready for us to start going.

Now I may note that this is not my first time on a horse. It was my second. My second day on the farm, Anthony decided that it was about time to start filling up my Album that I got from Melissa, and for some odd reason he thought me and Adalric on a horse would be the perfect first picture. Though Adalric and I objected, in the end Anthony got his way. My first picture in the Album is Adalric and me on a horse. I had a few other pictures in it too that I added later. One of me trying to cook, and utterly failing with the fish burning and Anthony laughing. It's been a life long affliction everything I cook, I burn. Though I still think it tastes all right, everyone else thinks it tastes wretched. Another picture has me being chased by one of the male goats. What I question often is how did Anthony have time to find the camera and take a picture, but not help me get away from the stupid goat?

Soon we left to go to the pasture, where the fence was. As we were walking between the house and stable, Anthony came running out with that blasted camera of his waving in his hands. I turned to face Adalric and I could tell he wished he could just make the horse gallop away but the I wouldn't probably be able to hold on. Soon Anthony was beside us, panting, his face glistening with sweat.

"What is it, Anthony? I want to be done with the fence before noon and at this pace we won't be done till night fall."

Panting a little before speaking, Anthony answered.

"I-I wanted to get a pic-picture of you and Arthur on Julius!", he said the end with a smile on his face and no break between the words.

Adalric shook his head.

"Anthony you've already taken a picture with Arthur and me on a horse, we don't need another one."

"But not on Julius! Look at this proud horse! He would be perfect in a picture with you two and all three of you look so cute! Arthur with a school boy outfit on, you in your boots, jeans, and that hat, and Julius looking most spectacular, ready to go off in a gallop!"

At this point in time, Adalric was most aggravated, Julius, the horse, was seeming most proud, Anthony was giddy, and I was slightly confused.

"Fine.", came the short answer from Adalric. He just wanted to get it over with.

"Okay! But you need to pose first. Let's see...I'll take a side picture, of course, and Adalric, you hold on to the reins, move that arm out from in front of Arthur, there now hold the reins tight Adalric, and Arthur lean back a little bit, but still hold onto the mane, that's it and keep that adorable confused look on your face, perfect! Adalric, your scowling isn't so nice, don't smile, that would be so creepy but don't scowl, thank you, now look this way!"

With a flash it was over. We had taken the picture and no we were heading to the gate. Adalric seemed a little agitated, but didn't speak. I could feel him getting calmer and calmer the loser we got to the fence. It felt good being with Adalric, ever since that first night there he felt like someone I Could trust with anything, secrets and things like that, and he seemed like a protector. Don't get me wrong, I loved Anthony equally, he could make me laugh when no one else could and he was really strong and I knew if anyone tried to touch me, he and Adalric would rip the to shreds. I loved them both, which is why it had been so hard to leave.

The gate to the pasture was old and a little rusty with chipping red paint, but it was still very sturdy. Adalric lifted his leg over the side of the horse and got off, opening the gate and leading the horse, with me on it, inside the gate. After shutting it and locking it up again, he got on behind me. I shifted a bit, to get a little more comfortable, and we were off...on a slow trot. He never did go that fast with me and it was fine that way. I wasn't much of a dare devil so not going fast was just my pace.

The sun still beat down on us and it was getting hotter by the minute. Every so often, sweat would slip into my eyes and would sting because of the salt content. It was a little difficult to wipe it out, even if the horse was slow going. There were still bumps and I wasn't about to let go for stinging eyes, but I still did have to watch and see if I could find any loose boards or broken ones, because that was the whole reason that Adalric took me out here, so he could have an extra pair of eyes, or so I thought.

Soon we were far off from the gate and started coming upon the more wilder side of the pasture, with a few trees and longer grass. Soon Adalric had to get off and started walking beside the horse, so he could get a better look at the fence by stepping on the grass. May of the board were still in good shape, but because this was such a rarely tended to area, there were a few boards that were just barely hanging onto the rest and some boards looking like they had wood rot or something like it, maybe termites in a few cases. At the first board that looked like it would need replacing, Adalric took out what looked like a red piece of cloth. He tied it tightly to the post where he could see it and began walking again. I didn't question him. This went for a while and a few times I even pointed out some broken boards.

We were almost half way done with the pasture, when I decided I had had enough riding. My legs were cramped and I told Adalric he could ride for a while and that I would check the fence. He was a little reluctant, but agreed. I believe he was glad that I was coming out of my shell some. So I walked along the fence, or more like half walking half crawling, checking for any breaks or rotting, telling Adalric when I had done so and then he would toss me a red strip and I would die it as best I could onto the fence. While walking, Adalric said he needed to use the bathroom and not stray far from the spot.

"Okay.", I said.

He disappeared in between the trees that we were now in now. We were now in the wooded part of the pasture. It wasn't so bad, though. I liked the trees, they made me feel safe. Plus, when I was younger, and Ian wasn't being a bastard, who use to tell me about the fairies, unicorns, and other things that lived in the forest. I had felt rather sad when he stopped telling me about them. That was the day when I told him I really had seen faeries and other magical creatures. I had been four. While I was looked and pondering at the, I didn't noticed the grass on the other side of the fence move or the sun go away because something was blocking. I only noticed anything when someone poked me on the head. I looked back, thinking it was Adalric, but I didn't see anything I looked back and was now staring up at a very strange man. It was a big man, not fat, but tall and really muscular, like Anthony or Adalric. He was wearing brown pants, big brown boots going over them, and a green parka, with the hood up. From what I could see, his skin was dark, not really dark, but dark and he had a bit of stubble on his chin. Now, what really caught my eye was that he had a white mask over the top part of his face. Through the eye holes, I could see he had brown eyes. He stood up, now towering over me, and I looked up in somewhat awe, sitting on my knees. I concluded this must be the infamous Sadiq. Of all the things that could be going through my mind, I had only this.

_Isn't he hot wearing that parka?_

_

* * *

_Seriously, sorry for the pointless chapter, seriously it really was just to introduce Turkey. Anyways my head hurts now and i really feel like watching Let The Right One In (best vampire movie! (from Swedan)) so I'm just gonna wrap this up.

**Horse Names**

NERO  
Gender: Masculine  
Usage: Ancient Roman  
Pronounced: NIR-o (English)  
Roman cognomen, which was probably of Sabine origin meaning "strong, vigorous". It was borne most infamously by a tyrannical Roman emperor of the 1st century.

JULIUS  
Gender: Masculine  
Usage: Ancient Roman, English, German  
Pronounced: JOO-lee-us (English), YOO-lee-uws (German)  
From a Roman family name which was possibly derived from Greek ? (ioulos) "downy-bearded". Alternatively, it could be related to the name of the Roman god JUPITER. This was a prominent patrician family of Rome, who claimed descent from the mythological Julus, son of Aeneas. Its most notable member was Gaius Julius Caesar, who is known for his clever conquest of Gaul. After a civil war he became the dictator of the Roman Republic, but was eventually stabbed to death in the senate.  
Although this name was borne by several early saints, including a pope, it was rare during the Middle Ages. It was revived in Italy and France during the Renaissance, and was subsequently imported to England.

ERMENDRUD  
Gender: Feminine  
Usage: Ancient Germanic  
Derived from the Germanic elements ermen "whole, universal" and þruþ "strength".

ROSLINDIS  
Gender: Feminine  
Usage: Ancient Germanic  
Derived from the Germanic elements hros "horse" and linde "soft, tender". This name was introduced by the Normans to England, though it was not common. During the Middle Ages its spelling was influenced by the Latin phrase rosa linda "beautiful rose". The name was popularized by Edmund Spencer, who used it in his poetry, and by William Shakespeare, who used it for the heroine in his comedy 'As You Like It' (1599).

Yeah, i went all out on the horses names! whoo...yeah, i watch movie now...


	10. Rabbits

AIIIYAAAAAAA! I'M SO SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED AND THIS SHIT I GIVE YOU IS...well...shit. *hangs head in shame* i suck...

**WARNINGS: Insinuating that Anthony may have done something bad involving a child.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not APH, if I did, England would be everyone's bitch**

* * *

Sadiq stared down at me and I stared up at Sadiq. We studied each other, he more confused than I, since I at least, knew who he was. He had no idea who I was and what I was doing there. I swallowed and found my mouth to be dry. I was scared. I'm not sure why I was scared, but I was and it seemed that my legs weren't working at the moment.

"Bollocks.", I muttered under my breath. I needed to find Adalric. Thankfully he found me.

I heard foot steps behind me and strong arms lift me up and set me right on my wobbly legs, a new born deer who needs his mother to help him up. I swiftly went behind Adalric, finding a little strength in me. He stared at Sadiq and Sadiq, I assume since I couldn't really see his eyes at this point because of the mask, stared back, a smirk upon his lips.

"Adalric.", he said, his voice holding a Mediterranean accent.

"Sadiq.", Adalric said back. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to take a look at the fence, to see how it was holding up, but I saw you were doing that so I was going to leave, until, that is, I spotted this young one sitting in the tall grass like a rabbit. Since when do you and Anthony own a rabbit? Or did Anthony pluck it from it's mother's den. I didn't think he did that anymore-"

"Shut up!"Adalric growled.

I looked up at Adalric and then over to Sadiq with my face contorted in confusion.

_What is he talking about? Did Anthony do pest control at some point? That makes sense, there are a lot of rabbits. Poor rabbits. I hope Anthony didn't hurt them._

The smirk on Sadiq's tanned face grew. I wasn't quite sure at the time what was so funny or why Adalric was getting so angry. It didn't make sense at all. But, then again, I expect that it wasn't suppose to make sense, at least not to me.

They glared at each other and every moment I was getting more and more concerned, scared. I wanted to leave, to go back to the farm. I didn't like the pasture anymore, and I certainly didn't like Sadiq. He was making Adalric angry and upset. That wasn't very nice. I tugged on Adalric's pants leg, hoping he would acknowledge me and would take me back to the farm, so we could both be up there with Anthony and be happy. He didn't acknowledge me, but he was through with Sadiq.

Without a word, he picked me up and put me on Julius, who now seemed just as miffed as Adalric at Sadiq. It was a good thing he had some patience. The sun seemed to have gotten brighter and hotter, now almost on top of us. Julius seemed to be sweatimg now too. It seemed we were done with the fence for today. On the horse I coud see the other side of the fence better. It was another field and beyond that, the silhoutte of a house. Just like this field. Adalric got on the horse behind me and we got moving at a fast trot. I held fast and looked back, just to see a last image. Sadiq was there, the smirk on his face and gleam in his eye. I hated him.

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Okay, explanation time...I really have none. Yeah on Christmas Eve and Day i was busy, but after that I was just lazy...I'm sorry. *puppy dog eyes* Pwease forgive and still R&R.


	11. Apples and Peanut Butter

I _**really**_ have **NO** reason for being this late other than the fact that I am a procrastinating (haha, spelled right the first time!) lazy bastard. I am VERY VERY sorry. I luvs you! Please forgive!

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own, cause if I did Iggy would get drunk MORE OFTEN!**

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We got back to the house in less than an hour. Anthony was actually cleaning, well sort of. I believe he had started out mopping the kitchen floor, but ended up dancing with the mop, singing this funny song. It was probably an old song, maybe from the Vietnam era, the sixties, which made me question.

_How old are they really?_

The thought hadn't crossed my mind before, but now that it had, it was nagging. At first glance they look perhaps twenty, late twenties maybe, but if when I look closer, I can see a few gray hairs mixed in with Adalric's golden hair and Anthony's rich brown hair. Their faces too, though hard to to tell, have wrinkles, just a few, but they're still there.

Suddenly I was taken from my thoughts when Anthony decided he needed a new dancing partner. I was swooped up in his arms, an arm around my waist, my legs around his, and his free hand grasping mine.

"And then while I'm away, I'll write home everyday! And I'll send all my loving to you. All my loving I will send to you, all my loving, darling I'll be true!"

We twirled around and he danced this way and that while I was just trying to hold on. At first I was too shocked to do much, but then I was smiling and laughing. For the first time in a long time, I was feeling quite joyous.

"Anthony, put him down! I think you may have knocked his poor head about too much!"

Laughing, Anthony complied and put me down. I swayed a bit, feeling a little dizzy from the dance we just had. When looked up at Adlric, I could tell he wasn't mad at Anthony, but still upset about what happened at the pasture. I wished the pasture would just go away.

"Ah, look who's feeling jealous. Come on, you can dance with me now!", Anthony said, cornering Adalric with a smile on his face.

"That's enough Anthony come now. We have work to do.", Adalric said, pushing Anthony away.

"Well you're no fun.", Anthony said, seeming defeated. But in my experience, I knew he wouldn't give up quite this easily, no. He was planning something.

"Well, since Arthur helped you with the fence this morning, he can help me with the house."

Adalric merely rolled his eyes and went back outside, the screen door slamming against the frame.

"So, Arthur, ready to get to work. Or do you want to have a snack first? I know children usually should eat snacks periodically throughout the day. I'm sure your no exception."

As said before, my mother had kept y brothers and me on a strict diet, which meant no snacks. I was going to say I was fine, but my stomach decided to betray me. I couldn't tell if it was a loud growl or a dull roar, but either way, we both heard it. Red crimson filled my cheeks as Anthony's laughter roared.

"I guess that answers it.", he said as he swung e up into a chair and then made his way to the fridge. He pulled out two apples. then he went to the cabinets and pulled out a jar of peanut butter and two plates. As he was slicing the apples, he talked to me.

"So, how was this morning's events after you two left?"

I was compelled to tell him about the words between Sadiq and Adalric, but kept silent. At the time it felt wrong for me to tell him. I would be right for Adalric to do.

"Not much.", I stated. "It was hot out and Julius got tired out after a bit, so we came back."

Anthony snorted.

"Oh that Julius, so high and mighty when he first comes out of his stall, but is tired out quickly in the end. He's a proud horse, so he won't let you know he's tired, but Adalric has learned to read the signs."

Anthony sat down with the two plates, placing one in front of himself and one in front of me. Each plate had apple slices and and peanut butter. The apples were green ones, a little tart, but the peanut butter helped even the taste out.

Anthony, of course, had more, because he was an adult, but I was fine with my share. I wasn't and have never been a big eater, so a small amount was just right for me. We ate in silence at first, that is until Anthony started up some conversation.

"So, Arthur, how have you enjoyed your stay here?"

I looked up at him, swallowed, and nodded.

"Yes, I quite like it here. You and Aldaric are both very nice."

Anthony let out a hearty laugh.

"Please boy, don't say it as if you rehearsed it."

My cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry.", I spoke, quietly.

The smile fell slowly from Adalric's face and he looked as though he had made a mistake.

"No, it's alright. I was just picking on you boy."

he was quiet for a moment and then spoke up again.

"You're mother was strict with you and your brothers, wasn't she? Your father too I bet, when he was home anyway."

I looked at him for a moment, a little shocked. How could he have known.

"Well, maybe, a little.", I said. "but how could you have known?"

"It was a bit easy.", Anthony admitted, a small smile gracing his face. "I just used this.", he said, pointing to his head.

I gave him a questioning look and his smile broadened.

"Adalric's been reading those Sherlock Holmes stories lately, so I decided to see what they were all about. Turns out they're really good. That Doyle guy really had something going. Anyways, I'm looking at things a lot differently now a bit more smartly. I know your parents were a bit strict because for one, you come from a high class, wealthy family, and that could go two ways. Either you and your brothers would be able to do whatever you please, or you would be a little restricted. Now, knowing you come from a high class _English_ family means a leans a little more on the strict side. Another thing, you're really well behaved, which means you've probably grown up being taught to be well behaved. you don't ask for much, actually I don't think you've asked for anything at all, which means you've been taught not to maybe expect much or not to be greedy, you're quiet and really only speak when spoken to, so you've also probably been taught be seen and not heard."

He smiled. I laughed.

"You're very bad at this.", I giggled out. I couldn't help myself, he really was. But, I admired him for trying. He laughed too.

"Well, guess I couldn't expect much."

"No, no, sorry. It was rude for me to say that. You got a few points, but most were far fetched and could mean anything. Keep practicing, you'll get the hang of it."

We finished the apple snack talking about general things. It was nice. One of the things I liked about Anthony the most was the way he was so care free, the way the worlds problems didn't seem to get to him. I wish more people were like that.

"Salve Arthur, could I ask you a question?", Anthony asked when we had finished our meal and cleaned the plates. I nodded.

"You want to help me set up something for Adalric?"

"Sure.", I said.

"Great!", Anthony said, excited.

He picked me up, a thing I had grown accustomed to, and took me out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the second floor. He put me down in the hallway. We were between the bathroom and a vanity. He scanned the ceiling and made a sound when he found what he was looking for. He reached his hand up to the ceiling, he was very tall so it was easy for him to do, and grasped at something. He pulled part of the ceiling down and a ladder came out.

"What is that?", I asked, looking up in the darkness of the secret room above us.

"Elementary, my dear Arthur. It's an attic."

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Salve-Latin-Hey/Hello

Song used- All My Loving- by The Beatles

Is it sad that I didn't need any refernces for that song? Please R&R this procrastinator!


	12. Treasures

*Is stoned to death before even getting a chance to talk* Well, I guess I deserved that. Okay, so as you know, I'm as lazy as can be and with school, i never even have time for my self. This is a lousy chapter, but important and in no way a filler!

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hetalia, for if I did**, **I would not have to go to school because I could have the most awesome job ever. Also, i do not own the brothers Grimm, they belong to themselves.  
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An attic, of course! I had never been in one before, but I knew perfectly well what they were from books I had read and stories my brothers had told. It looked very dark in the attic and I was about to ask Anthony how we were going to see in there, when from form out of the drawer in the vanity, he brought out a flashlight. He clicked it on, to make sure it still worked, and sure enough it did. He motioned for me to climb up first and stood under me to make sure I didn't fall down. I was a little afraid, but made sure not to show it. I might have been afraid, but I know I was no coward.

It was dark, with little light coming through the large opening from which I had climbed through. I saw the silhouettes of unrecognisable shapes here and there, mountains of things. It was all a bit overwhelming. Suddenly there was a creak and then a beam of light. Anthony had come up and was now standing, his head only a foot from the ceiling.

"So, what are we looking for Anthony?", I asked.

"Have you ever seen a record player? Yes? Well, that's one thing and then a box full of albums. But first, let's see if we can't find the blasted light up here. I haven't come up here in so long, I won't be surprised if it's dead."

At that word, my mind suddenly went to my parents. They were dead. I wasn't sure why I thought of them at the mention of a dead light bulb, I had certainly heard death before here, but the light bulb reminded me of them. So high and bright, and in a flash they can go, burn out, die.

A sudden light flashed on and I forgot about my previous thoughts. Anthony had found the light bulb and had brought it to life. I looked around the previously dark room, scanning every box, bag, and any other contraptions. We started looking, I on one end, Anthony on the other. Anthony was the one who eventually found the record player and the box of old Albums beside it, but I had my own treasure hoard to contend to. Most of the things were very old and dusty, nothing I really wanted anything to do with, but some things, some things were absolutely wonderful.

My first treasure was a box of comics. Now, I was brought up on the grandfathers of literature, and had never seen a comic book before, but as a child of seven, I was instantly captivated by the comics, by their art and then by their stories. Unlike most comics of today, these comics had plot, had story, had soul. They were Wonderful. I flipped through the pages of one after another, catching bits and pieces from the stories. I knew I would have to read them all later, at the moment I had a quest. But then, I found a second treasure.

It was a book, but it was a magical book. The people who had written it were the grandfathers of the grandfathers. The were the Lords of fairy tales. The Brothers Grimm. Though I knew they hadn't actually written the stories, they had spent their life collecting these stories from all over Europe, country from country. It was something to be admired for, the greatest historians in my mind. they had preserved history, which is quite a rare feat. Their stories were known the world over. I had been rarely allowed to read them when I was little, only for a brief time, and now with this book in my hand, though old, worn, and covered with dust, I was given the chance again. The cover had a castle on it. it was beautiful, old, but beautiful. I opened it and saw the story written in and the pictures were brilliant. I put it down and felt very happy. I would surely have to read this too. I picked it up held it, hugged it, and then put it with the comics.

The third treasure I found was a box. As curious as I was then, I opened it. Inside was a stack of letters held together with a rubber band and a book, an album, like mine but older, much older. I opened it and saw yellowed pictures of people and places, memories frozen in time to stand still forever. They smelled funny, the pictures, so I closed the book to look at it later after it had aired out.

The fourth and final treasure I found was quite strange. It was an old. I inspected it. It was simple, yet beautiful. The box was small, but not too small and was black with a golden rose painted on all four sides and on the top with thorns around it. I touched it softly, making sure I wouldn't prick myself on the thorns and then felt a little silly. The were painted, how can painted thorns prick you?

It was a nice box, one that a women would probably put jewelry in. I opened it to see what was in the box. It was better than jewelry.

Suddenly a sound behind me made me jump and shut the box. I looked and Anthony looking over my shoulder, smiling.

"Well I haven't seen that in years. It's in beautiful shape, isn't, especially since we haven't used it in so long. Well, you can take that and anything else you've found to your room if you want. Doesn't do much up here collecting dust. Well, come on, I've found the albums and the record player. Now all we need to do is get it down there, and soon I hope. I'm burning up in here."

Anthony was right, it had grown rather warm up here and it was quite stuffy. I gathered my treasure up into my arms, one stacked on top of another, all blancing in my arms. Then I figured out that this would never due for I would surely drop them or injure myself in some way. Just then, Anthony had called me over. As I made my way towards him dragging my box of treasure behind me, while looking back to make sure they were okay, I ran into something, another, bigger box, and fell in, but I wasn't hurt. I barely feel in and whatever was beneath me felt soft. Anthony saw me fall and stifled a laugh and then came over to help me out. Then he looked at the box and a stunned, surprised look came over his face.

"Jesus, how long has it been since I've seen this?"

He opened th box and in it was costumes.

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Now we're getting somewhere! I've had the costume idea for ages, and now I can finally use it!

So, what was in the box? Care to take a guess?


End file.
